2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Driver assistance Problems

Between [XXX] am on [XXX]. I powered on my vehicle and the rear trunk door simultaneously opened. As I was driving my son to school that morning, I noticed water dripping onto my foot. I continued to drive but was distracted by beeping and warning messages but because the dashboard display was constantly switching from daytime to night lighting I could not readily see the dashboard. I tried to manually adjust the light by turning the knob off "auto" and also turning lights to "off" but it would immediately switch back. I made it to the first stop light and while stopped I was able to observe water droplets on the front panel of the interior fuse box. I pulled open the panel and water dropped out onto to floor. I replaced the panel. I continued to drive but was panicked and worried that water was in the fuse panel area. I arrived at my son's school and left the car running as he was dropped off. On the drive home, the beeping continued. This time, I saw the warning message about vehicle in my blind spot but I was on the street corner about to make a right turn and there was no vehicle next to me! The lights also kept switching as before. There was rust observed in the fuse panel area. When I got home, I called the dealership to inform them what happened. They refused to give me a loaner. I told them that water intrusion should not have occurred (we had severe weather and heavy rains the day prior) and now my car was having electrical issues and I was concerned for my safety and the safety of driving my 3 young children in car seats should there be an electrical fire. I mentioned the recall on my vehicle for water accumulation in the tow hitch and risk of electrical fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11668511

Incident

Jan 31, 2025

The contact owned a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that his partner was driving at 50 MPH, a light ahead had just turned red, with two vehicles stopped just a couple of feet ahead of her, the contact stated that his partner had proceeded to frantically attempt to brake, however, the vehicle did not brake in time, and the automatic braking assist did not initiate. The complete front end of the vehicle was destroyed, as the vehicle crashed into the vehicle ahead. There was no property damage. The vehicle came to a stop after the crash. The driver's side air bags were deployed, however, the contact emphasized that it appeared the air bag had not fully deployed. The vehicle was towed to a lot. No warning lights had illuminated. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact partner was injured, and she was seated in the driver's seat, and a single civilian seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle that was hit from behind was injured. The contact stated that his partner suffered injuries to her chest, and the other individual suffered injuries to the neck. Medical treatment was needed for both individuals. The local dealer was contacted however the vehicle was not diagnosed, as the vehicle was a total loss, and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,824.

NHTSA ID

11633727

Incident

Sep 19, 2024

Mileage

23,824 mi

The Automatic Emergency Braking System, on multiple occasions now, has slammed on its brakes at highway speed when there are no obstacles, barriers, or even vehicles in sight ahead of my wife. This happened to me the other day also when exiting the highway onto an exit ramp when it "Detected Collision" when *nothing* was around me, no vehicles or barriers within any reasonable distance. It's going to end up causing someone to rear end me or her - absolutely unsafe and 100% putting my wife and child at risk. We're taking it to the dealership on Saturday and have verbally informed them of the issue. No warnings, no messages, no nothing prior to incident - the car is practically brand new.

NHTSA ID

11619621

Incident

Oct 9, 2024

Three times this has happened. The instances occurred on Highway 680 between Pleasanton and San Jose. I was going the speed limit - 65 miles per hour - as were tons of cars around me. Suddenly the car would brake, startling me because I was nowhere near another car. It frightened me a lot! I think it is the automatic braking system - either the front end collision warning or the blind spot collision warning. It could have easily resulted in an accident. I took it to the Hyundai dealership, and they knew they could not likely duplicate it. They showed me where to turn off the vehicle control (braking) for the front end collision warning and the blind spot collision warning. I have read on the Internet several other parties that have experienced this - car-controlled braking while traveling at high speed with lots of cars around.

NHTSA ID

11619333

Incident

Sep 20, 2024

Driving down interstate at 70 mph and car started to brake while foot on gas pedal. Would not go…red brake alert came on. Luckily no other car in left lane and pulled off to side of road. Car would not drive. Called tow truck.

NHTSA ID

11615382

Incident

Sep 17, 2024

I was driving 70 MPH on highway and the AEB activated despite no other vehicles in front of me. Thankfully the car behind me was far enough behind that they could swerve out of the way, or it could have been a massive collision. Additionally the person behind me could have swerved into traffic Causing a massive accident. This is happened twice the other time I was going 50 miles an hour. I am afraid to drive this car on the highway now.

NHTSA ID

11605747

Incident

Jul 31, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30-35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact restarted the vehicle and the vehicle worked as designed for several miles before the failure recurred. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was due to the accelerator switch. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH in the driveway, the vehicle lost motive power. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 6,800.

NHTSA ID

11602691

Incident

May 6, 2024

Mileage

6,800 mi

While driving the blind spot safety system, driver attention warning system, and lane following system malfunction at the same time, and the vehicle loses power steering. The first time this occured was in the parking lot of an elementary school in April 2024. I was driving less than 2mph and the vehicle had less than 8,000 miles on it. The dealer said they would be unable to diagnose unless they witnessed the errors. The second time it occured was in May 2024 while driving on the interstate at around 75mph. The vehicle was driven directly to the dealership who kept it for four weeks. They said the connections to the ECU were severely corroded, sanded them down, and added a water protectant. The third time it occured was a month later. The dealership has had the vehicle for two weeks with no diagnosis. Losing power steering suddenly while driving is incredibly dangerous, especially in a vehicle of this size and weight. It is difficult to control the vehicle without power steering, and in all cases there have been other vehicles/people in the area who could have been injured.

NHTSA ID

11601031

Incident

Apr 11, 2024

I was driving approximately 55 mph on an interstate with no hazards nearby. The car's Emergency Braking System engaged causing the vehicle to slow down suddenly to about 35 mph. I continued pushing on the accelerator to try to get the vehicle back to the appropriate speed and was able to do so.

NHTSA ID

11598644

Incident

Jun 2, 2024

On highway, emergency braking enacted. I pulled to side the of the road to turn engine off and restart car. When I did, I could not put the car in gear. I have had other similar incidents happen with this vehicle. After about an hour of waiting for roadside assistance and having NYS troopers come help, the car dash lit up and I was then able to put car in Drive. When I talked to dealership and said that I got a diagnostic message on my screen to have transmission component checked TODAY ('today' was in all CAPS on the screen), they said they could not get me in. Then when I said, "I'm supposed to just drive around hoping my car doesn't break down again?" She said, "I'll cross my fingers for you." Are you kidding me!? My safety is at risk is this what a major dealership's answer is to the car's issue?

NHTSA ID

11594419

Incident

Jun 14, 2024

I was driving on the freeway and there were not any cars in front of me or next to me, and my emergency break went on. My car jerked hard and could have caused a very serious accident if there was a car behind me. This happened two times during the same drive. I took it to the dealer and they told me there was nothing they could do since there was no codes shown. I am very nervous to drive this car now.

NHTSA ID

11589914

Incident

May 18, 2024

As I was driving today my Santa Fe Hybrid lost all power while on the road. The hybrid battery gauge went from 3/4th full to empty in 20 second and I could not get the vehicle to move. Thankfully there was no one behind me and I could safely pull off. When I stopped and restarted the car, the system said ready to drive but the car wouldn't move

NHTSA ID

11589427

Incident

May 18, 2024

Occurred on [XXX] while travelling in the middle lane of a 3-lane highway just west of Raleigh, NC and heading west. The Emergency Brake Light came on, the car stopped suddenly and my head shook from side to side. This could have been a major accident if the traffic wasn’t light. I do not tailgate and there were at least 6-8 car lengths between me and the car in front. No cars on either side. There was no beeping warning from the vehicle about being too close to other vehicles before the car stopped. I pressed on the gas pedal and the car moved forward. The weather was about 50-60 degrees, dry road and sunny. Next Step: Called Hyundai Customer Care on [XXX] and was advised to bring the vehicle in for inspection and correction. Took the car into the Hyundai Autonation dealership in Buford, GA, where the vehicle was purchased. They found nothing wrong. Note: Have researched this problem online and found multiple instances of the same occurrence. See the following online: Emergency Braking System Activates Intermittently | Hyundai Santa Fe Forums INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11580198

Incident

Mar 10, 2024

I purchased a brand new 2023 Santa Fe hybrid in August 2023. So far, on four separate occasions (Oct ‘23, Dec ‘23, Jan ‘24, Feb ‘24) I have lost accelerator/gas pedal power while driving down the highway. There is no warning, no lights on dash, nothing. I just all of the sudden lose power. On one occasion in particular, [XXX], I was driving on the highway with my 5 year old in the back seat. I suddenly and totally lost all accelerator/gas pedal power while in the passing lane. I rapidly lost speed and was decelerating with a truck directly behind me and another vehicle to my right in the regular lane. I had to quickly turn on my emergency flashers and pray the truck behind me was paying attention and didn’t hit me. I was jamming up traffic until I was able to get pulled over off the road. My vehicle has been into Hyundai’s garage a total of four times now for the same issue. They have yet to find the root of the problem or fix it. I recently picked up my car on [XXX] from the garage and exactly two weeks later it did it again, this time with my husband in the car so it is once again back in the garage. The last trip to the garage they were able to duplicate the issue but can’t find a cause. Twice my check engine light came on after the fact but only two of the four times. I do not feel safe driving this vehicle but corporate Hyundai did an “investigation” into my case and told me today they found I am not eligible for a refund or replacement and to continue to take it to a certified Hyundai garage if/when I continue to have problems. I’m very concerned I’ll be in a traffic accident when this happens again and now the occurrences are happening more frequently. This not only puts myself and my passengers in danger but other vehicles on the road around me as well. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11573702

Incident

Jan 29, 2024

The automatic emergency braking system engaged (the red warning flashed on the dashboard and tone beeped) while I while driving on the highway at 65 mph, in clear weather conditions. This engagement caused the steering wheel to jerk violently left and right, almost causing the car to fishtail on the highway. There was a concrete barrier next to the lane I was driving in, and this was a very dangerous situation. Luckily, there was no car in the lane next to me.

NHTSA ID

11568166

Incident

Jan 26, 2024

The engine/ability to accelerate seemed to fail. It would not accelerate past 45mph and then couldn't even maintain that speed, even with the pedal to the floor. The engine sounded like it was revving at high RPMs and wasn't shifting into gear, even though it had just been in drive and operating normally. Yes, it is available for inspection. My safety was put at risk by not being able to accelerate when merging onto the highway, leading me to be going much slower than the traffic around me. I have not asked the dealer to reproduce the problem. The component has not been inspected. There were no warning signs, messages, or alerts of any kind. There was no information about the status of the car whatsoever.

NHTSA ID

11566724

Incident

Jan 20, 2024

Bought the car in July 2023. Nov 23: I had a check hybrid system followed by check engine + red battery warning while driving in the interstate. The car lost power abruptly. Coasted out of the interstate, took the exit, and turned it off. Restarted after 15 mins. Only the check engine light came back on. We drove it back home. Just as we were entering the garage, the sequence happened again: Check Hybrid System warning followed by Red battery warning followed by car losing power. We had to push it back into the garage. Started it two days later and the check engine light was on. Check Hybrid System and red battery warnings did not come back on. Nearby Hyundai dealer's service said that they are not certified to work on Hybrid cars. Hyundai roadside assistance refused to tow it to the dealership that I brought from. So, I had to drive it to the next nearby Hyundai dealer service center who is one hour away. There, the technician ran diagnostics for the check engine light and got an error code: P01E0100. He said that Hyundai's website for running error codes is down. He reset the check engine light and no warnings came back upon restarting the car, so he sent me out. Dec 12: While driving in the residential neighborhood near my home, check hybrid system followed by check engine + red battery warnings came on; car sputtered and jerked and lost power; I did the mistake of turning left to try and bring the car back home; car lost power in the middle of the turn. Fortunately, there were no oncoming cars, so I could coast at 2mph and cross the road. This was extremely dangerous. I am concerned on two fronts: 1. The dealership service technician might not be able to get the warnings again, reset the check engine light, and send me back on my way. 2. If this issue occurs while driving in the interstate or while turning left at a busy signal, then this will likely result in an accident. I am concerned for my safety.

NHTSA ID

11560158

Incident

Dec 13, 2023

vehicle fails to accelerate, engine is “sputtering” and making a rattling sound and battery is draining to nothing on the freeway driving at normal speeds. vehicle is lurching and engine does not appear to be shifting as it should - car losing power and failing to accelerate despite being full of gas. transmission doesn’t feel like it is shifting properly. vehicle only has 8000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11559333

Incident

Dec 9, 2023

Beginning the evening of 8/21/2023, this 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe HEV began displaying warning messages: "Check Blind Spot Safety System" and "Check Rear Cross-Traffic Safety System." Simultaneously, the car would not register a "Ready to Drive" and could not be shifted into Drive or Reverse. The car could be shifted into Neutral. After turning off and restarting the car several times, the warning messages did not recur, and the car could be shifted and driven normally. The problem recurred in the following days. It appeared that the issue was unrelated to cleaning the sensors but may have been related to the car being left in the sun. The car had to be towed to a dealer on 8/23. This dealer claimed to be unable to reproduce the problem. It is believed that the dealer kept the vehicle in a shaded garage during this time. After retrieving the vehicle from the first dealer, the problem recurred the following day, 9/2, again after having been parked in the sun on a warm day. The vehicle had to be towed to another dealer who was able to reproduce, but not diagnose, the issue. As of 9/18, the dealer states that they have identified a connector that appears to be causing the issue, but they say that they don't know what the connector does, because it does not appear in manufacturer wiring diagrams corresponding to the VIN. Because of the dealer's and manufacturer's inability to diagnose the issue, it is unclear if the issue actually implicates the operation of the blind spot and rear cross-traffic safety systems identified in warning messages. Hopefully it is possible for NHTSA to work with Hyundai to figure that out. The vehicle is with the dealer in Chantilly, VA and is available for inspection.

NHTSA ID

11545225

Incident

Aug 21, 2023

Since I have had the car, five months, there have been THREE INCIDENTS of the car braking to a stop suddenly and unexpectedly while I am driving. At no time were there other cars near me; I was not in danger of hitting anything or anyone as the road was clear. The stops were jarring and upsetting as I could not discern a reason for these sudden stops. I feel it is very dangerous to stop in the middle of the street without warning.

NHTSA ID

11540328

Incident

Mar 20, 2023